One of the best leadership books that I have read this year is a new book by Paul N. Larsen. Find Your Voice as a Leader is a no nonsense leadership guide that speaks directly to the reader, not to the academics. Paul's book offers real life leadership scenarios and offers us guides that offer up thought provoking questions and plans that you can put into place every day. Although I already read this book, I am reading it again and employing Paul's advice in setting some personal leadership goals.
I am an avid reader and champion of leading and empowering people. I want more in a book than just ideas. I want advice and guidance on how to strengthen my own leadership and put me on the path to having an impact on others in my own way.
I encourage you to pick up Paul's book and begin your own journey to stronger leadership. Leadership should be steady and influential. Leadership is not having the loudest voice in the room but building relationships and finding other ways to flex your leadership muscle. Below is a guest post from Paul Larsen to jump start your journey to using your voice to be a stable and flexible leader.
Best
Practices To Be Influential And Not Invisible
Cultivate an extensive and
respected network. Networking may be a catch phrase from the 1980s,
but the concept is as relevant today as it was 30 years ago. No one person has
all the answers or all the ideas, no matter how intelligent they are. Sharing
ideas and goals with others is key to being an effective and influential
leader.
Sell ideas and enroll support. Even
the best ideas will languish if you’re the only one who supports them. An
influential leader needs to also be a good salesperson—to garner support from
management, investors, team members, and the community. If you sell your ideas
persuasively, others will get on board with your vision.
Identify and remove obstacles to
the team’s success. Lead as a facilitator. Another essential part of being
an influential leader is clearing away any potential obstacles to success
before they can get in the way of your team’s efforts and the successful
realization of your vision. These obstacles might be funding issues,
personality conflicts, or logistic problems. Removing these roadblocks early
means your team can sail right through the project without losing momentum over
unrelated issues. Entrepreneur magazine
refers to breaking down barriers between team members and leaders as being
crucial to leadership success.
Be flexible in your leadership
style. The best—and most successful—leaders know how to adjust their
style to fit the needs of diverse individuals and teams. One of the most
influential leaders I’ve ever met was an airline pilot. As captain of a modern
jetliner (and father to this author), he possessed the “position and title of a
leader.” But he didn’t lead using his “rank” or his ego. He would treat all his
airline colleagues as one cohesive team whose purpose was to fly the passengers
to their destination as safely and as comfortably as possible. He regarded all
the team members with respect and trusted they would be accountable for
carrying out their specific job responsibilities. He believed each individual
knew best how to perform his/ her unique role, and collectively they comprised
a team that was focused and committed. He would listen to their insights and
feedback with a genuine spirit of collaboration before any important decision
was made concerning the operation of the aircraft and the carrying of its
passengers. Thus, he was viewed as a trusted and respected leader, in the air
and on the ground and was missed greatly when he retired after 30 years of
flying. Adjusting your leadership style to fit all situations and personalities
is essential to influencing your team members to produce successful
results. And then watch them fly!
As a successful leader you need to be more than just knowledgeable. You
need to be able to influence team members, management, and those in the
community—to accomplish your vision. Improve your influence by networking well,
establishing trusting relationships, clearing obstacles, and being adaptable to
your environment.
******
Paul N. Larsen, MA, CPPC, is a Certified
Professional Performance Coach and an experienced leadership consultant and
speaker. He has over 30 years’ business experience with executive and
senior-level responsibilities within small and large companies, including being
the Chief Human Resources Officer for a $3 billion organization. Paul partners
with industry-wide leaders and teams from Fortune 100, start-up, and high-tech
environments to find their unique leadership “VOICE” and create compelling and
purposeful outcomes for their organizations. He has a proven track record with
organizations such as SAP, Electronic Arts Twitter, and Walmart. Read more about Paul and his latest book, Finding Your VOICE as a Leader at www.paulnlarsen.com.